The LA Chargers were handed their first true pummeling of the Jim Harbaugh era on Sunday via the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a promising first half, the Chargers were outclassed by the Bucs, giving LA a true wake-up call as the season reaches its most important stretch.
The most disappointing aspect of the loss was easily how the defense crumbled against this Buccaneers team. Tampa Bay scored 40 points and put up 500 yards of offense against what was the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL.
After beating up on many bad offenses and bad quarterbacks, many Chargers fans are now questioning how good this defense really is or if it is just a byproduct of a fortune schedule.
Khalil Mack joined Chargers fans in their frustrations with the defensive play in Week 15. Mack was rather blunt about the team's performance on the defensive side of the ball, sharing just how "pissed off" he was with the outcome.
Khalil Mack on why today’s game pissed him off:
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) December 16, 2024
“When you let a team rush for 200 yards, that always does something to me … It's almost like you're disrespecting the game when a team is able to rush for 200 yards on you.”
Khalil Mack says the Chargers were so bad against the Buccaneers that they disrespected football
Ouch. Football is sacred for many and Mack saying the Chargers disrespected the entire game is not a light comment. This is a veteran who is unhappy with his performance and unhappy with how the team played.
It is impossible to blame Mack, though, as Sunday's game truly was horrendous on multiple fronts. Whether it was the rushing attack that put up over 200 yards or Baker Mayfield looking like an MVP candidate, the Chargers had no answers whatsoever for Tampa Bay.
It is worth mentioning that regardless of how upset Mack it with the showing, he is one of the leaders on the team that can change things moving forward. This is not to say Sunday was entirely Mack's fault, but the only people who can change the outcome is those in the locker room. And that starts with Mack.
The fact of the matter is that the defensive line has not been as consistent as fans would have hoped heading into the season. While there have been moments of greatness from this defensive line, it has not been consistent enough to call it a success this season.
That includes Mack. While he has had a good season, he has taken a step back from being an elite edge rusher to being an above-average edge rusher. And on Sunday, having an above-average edge rusher was not good enough for the Chargers.